A Distraction
by snowsgirl
Summary: A distraction from work is just what Germany needs, and it seems he's getting it, when Prussia wakes up one afternoon and discovers he's turned into a woman! Fem!PrussiaXGermany, PrussiaxGermany, GB, Human names. Don't hurt me...
1. Chapter 1

Please don't eat me this is the first fic I've written like this. Seriously. Even unpublished.

Also I know it's UBER original but... meh. I wanted to rape the fandom so I did. Um... at least that's what I call it... I didn't do this to like, make people angry on purpose or anything...

Also, Italy'll be in here, but I'm trying as hard as possible to avoid him cos it's hard to focus one one thing with him and also it complicates things and my brain already hurts from trying to work this out anyway. I'm so sorry Feli :(

R&R

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

After a particularly long meeting earlier that day (and a particularly long flight back home), Arthur Kirkland plopped down into his favorite chair, exhausted. His friend, the unicorn, nudged a tray of tea things closer to him, while his fairy friends poured him freshly made tea.

"Thank you, so much," he murmured sleepily, taking the fine cup and saucer from the tray, neglecting any special additions such as sugar or milk.

The five or six fairies huddled together, chattering quietly in their strange fey language.

"Arthur has had a long day," trilled a small blue one to Arthur, smiling.

He nodded.

"Tell us!"

Arthur sighed. "Alright."

"Nothing eventful happened, really. Antonio is taking the Italy brothers on a trip, bless him," began Arthur, before taking a sip of his tea.

Immediately, he spit out the bitter-tasting liquid. It tasted horrible as ever.

The blue fairy tilted her head at him. "Doesn't it taste good? I made it like I always do, just like you taught me!"

At those words, Arthur regained composure, and put on a straight face. "It's just too hot, that's all. Nothing a little milk won't fix."

"Story! Story!" the fairies chided.

Arthur sighed, and smiled at them a little before continuing. "Today, the frog tried to molest Matthew. He being who he is, he couldn't do anything about it, so I had to step in."

"Arthur is so kind!" said a pink fairy with yellow flowers in her hair.

Arthur could have laughed at this. He certainly hadn't been very gentlemanly during that encounter at all, but they didn't know.

"Unfortunately, that put me in a position where he could easily get at me instead. So it turned into a brawl of sorts," he admitted.

"Meanwhile, Ivan was picking on poor Yao again, and Alfred was going on very loudly about complete rubbish, as usual. Something about an alien, I believe."

"Then, of course, things only got escalated and got out of control," he mused.

The fairies nodded knowingly.

"Then what did you do?" asked a green one.

Arthur chuckled a little. "I couldn't have done a bloody thing if I wanted to. No, naturally, Ludwig was forced to put us back in order. Again."

"Ludwig? He works hard, doesn't he?" asked the blue one.

Arthur nodded. "Very hard. He's extremely serious, all the time."

The pink one rested on Arthur's shoulder. "_All _the time?"

"As long as I've known him, and it's been quite a while."

The other fairies joined their sister, sitting around Arthur.

"Sometimes I worry for him. Even he must need a break after a while. I've never known him to do anything halfway, or quit in the middle of a job, either, though," Arthur said quietly.

"Arthur wants to help Ludwig?" asked a yellow fairy.

"I don't think I could openly approach him with a concern on a trait of his that he takes so much pride in…" he trailed off. "No, what he needs is a distraction. Even if just for a little while."

The fairies tittered back and forth in fey once again.

Arthur didn't know what they were saying. He never could understand the lilting, almost musical language. It often became part of the ambiance for him. He would listen intently, dazed, but he never seemed to realize he'd been out of it. Until they stopped.

"Yes, that's a good idea," the green one said finally.

"You're up to something," muttered Arthur. "Don't get me involved this time, I'm begging you."

"No promises!" they all said.

Arthur could only sigh exasperatedly, sip at his now much colder tea, wince as he put it back on the tray, and then drift off to sleep without moving to his bed.


	2. Chapter 2

*sigh* Here's the second chapter. I'm going to finish this. Hahaha. I'm into GB right now, so I sort of hope I finish. Um… not GB as much as other things but…. Yes, it's good.

Also, I've been told that the most common name for fem!Prussia is "Maria," right? I don't plan on using it in place of Gilbert except in dialog for a bit, but… I want to be right.

XxXxXxX

Gilbert woke up groggily that day. It would be 'morning,' but of course, he wakes up when _he _wants to, so a steady stream of light was showing through the singly window in the basement, coming from the West. Which meant it was later in the day. This was one of the reasons Gilbert wasn't in complete disagreement with living in his younger brother's basement: the sun would never wake him up too early.

Today, Gilbert was feeling less than awesome. He couldn't quite place the feeling of strangeness he got when he say up. It wasn't a bad feeling… but it felt weird. And different. He'd slept in his clothes last night, he noticed.

Then he realized what it was. He was practically drowning in his uniform, which now seemed much too big for him. That couldn't be good. He glanced to the full-length mirror next to his closet door.

Without thinking, Gilbert shot out of bed, and stood in front of the mirror in silence. For a couple of minutes, he studied himself very carefully, red eyes wide.

XxXxXxX

Ludwig was in the kitchen. His brother was asleep and Feliciano was out with Antonio and Lovino. It was as if he had the entire house to himself again. Well, except for Roderich's glaring presence, but he was easily ignored. This was the first time he'd been able to secretly pursue his interest in confection in a very long time.

'Tonight's dessert,' he thought, satisfied as he shut the oven door and removed his oven mitts.

Then he heard a sudden scream from the basement. Not a shout. A full-on scream. Ludwig was glad he wasn't still standing over the oven or he might have burned himself.

After the initial shock, he wasted no time in getting to the door that led to his brother's room. No sooner than he got there, however, there was a scrambling sound as Gilbert moved up the stairs, and he heard the lock click.

Ludwig knocked on the door. "Gil?"

"Don't come in!" called Gilbert.

"Are you alright?"

"Just go away!"

That did it for Ludwig. He always kept a spare key in case something like this happened. He slipped the key into the lock and turned it.

"I'm coming down, Gil," said Ludwig, with real concern.

Gilbert was sitting on the edge of his bed with his face in his hands.

Aside from the light from the window, and the light coming from the door at the top of the stairs, there was almost no light in the room. Ludwig reached for the light switch.

"Wait!" said Gilbert, jumping up.

Ludwig didn't move. He had been taller than his brother for a very long time. Why did Gilbert seem so small?

"Bruder… have you gotten shorter?" asked Ludwig.

Gilbert didn't answer. Instead, he reached up and turned the light on himself.

Now Ludwig could see why.

Gilbert was indeed much smaller than normal. His frame seemed breakable and thin. His eyes were bigger, and seemed almost luminous the way the light hit them, which was creepy because of the natural red tint they had.

Ludwig noticed something else. "A-are those…?"

Gilbert covered his chest and turned away, flushing, revealing his silvery-white hair that fell down his back in slight waves.

Ludwig blushed as well, then shook his head angrily. "What do you think you're doing? Is _this _what you do when I'm not around?"

"Ludwig," Gilbert said softly in a very less-than-manly voice. "I haven't done a thing."

They stood in awkward silence for a very long couple of minutes.

"What happened?" asked Ludwig finally, clearing his throat.

Gilbert shrugged. "I woke up like this."

Another silence.

"What now, West?" Gilbert asked.

The taller man thought about it.

"We have to take you shopping," answered Ludwig.

"What?"

"You can't wear your old clothes. They're way too big."

"That's what she said."

"Shut the hell up," said Ludwig, irritated. "Like you're one to talk."

Even as a woman, Gilbert was still the same immature older brother Ludwig grew up with.

"It's not so bad, West," said Gilbert, with a sudden quick and suspicious smile.

"Why is that?"

"I can touch myself as much as I like!" said Gilbert with a devious gleam in his eyes.

"You're disgusting."

"You're just jealous!" said Gilbert. "'Cos you don't have awesome boobs like mine!"

Ludwig frowned. "Why would I be jealous of that?"

"Everyone knows you're a closet pervert, West," Gilbert crooned, groping himself.

"I should hit you."

"But you can't hit a girl, bruder!" smirked Gilbert.

"Whatever. Maybe some of Feliciano's clothes will do until we get to the store."

Gilbert wasn't listening anymore. He was too busy wondering what size he was.


	3. Chapter 3

Yay for doing your homework~! I wasn't sure if they had Walmarts in Germany so I checked cos I'm SMART like that. Turns out Walmart failed miserably about five years ago and they pulled out and sold to Metro. XD

Anyhow.

Also, I didn't say his size cos I know zip about that sort of thing. I don't know any size but my shirt size. I try stuff on and buy it if it fits. I'm the least feminine girl I know. For serious.

**XxXxXxX**

Gilbert protested all the way to the H&M. He had been forced into wearing Feliciano's 'Squadsman 1' sailor shirt, and was also wearing his pants as well. He refused to trade in his boots, however. He seemed much smaller than at first anticipated, because even the Italian's somewhat petite clothing was still a little big on him. This put them at a pretty good starting point, however, and they could now guess that he was probably a 'small.'

They spent more time there than Ludwig would have liked. Part of it was that Gilbert was very indecisive. Part of it was that every time they passed a mirror, Gilbert would stop to inspect his reflection. And part of it still was that he was far too eager to try on certain undergarments, which irritated Ludwig to no end. Sometimes he could hardly believe he was related to his brother.

And of course, when it came to it, Gilbert had no idea how to actually put a bra on, which may be a bit of a surprise. So Ludwig was forced to help him. He refused to go into the stall with him, however so he found himself fumbling with the hooks outside the dressing room.

This was when Vash and his sister Lili just happened by.

Vash cleared his throat, standing directly in front of Ludwig. At the sound, his head whipped up and he realized he'd been caught. He wondered what Vash thought he was doing, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

"…Can I help you?" Ludwig asked.

"Not really. I just want to know what you're doing with that bra," said Vash accusingly.

Lili said nothing, but continued to watch the exchange.

"Bruder! What's taking so long?" asked Gilbert from the stall.

Vash's eyes narrowed. "Who's in there? I don't remember you having a sister."

Ludwig didn't answer, but instead tossed the bra back over the door to Gilbert.

Vash might not have looked it, due to his suspicious nature, but he was also more than a little confused.

"Yup, this one fits," said Gilbert. "What size is it?"

"Shut up," Ludwig hissed back at him.

Vash stood defiantly with Lili at his side. It was clear he wasn't going anywhere until he got an answer.

Then Gilbert chose that moment to come out of the stall. Of course he was still wearing Feliciano's clothes, you pervert.

"How many more of these do you think we should get, West?" he asked.

Then he spotted Vash. "Oh."

"Ludwig, who is this?" asked Vash.

He thought for a very long time before answering. "This is Maria. She's a cousin. …A distant cousin."

"It's very nice to meet you, Maria," said Lili, smiling.

Gilbert didn't know how to respond. He ended up just awkwardly returning her smile with a weak nod.

"I don't buy it," said Vash. "Something's up and I want to know what it is. It's odd, but you two look too much alike to be just cousins."

Gilbert and Ludwig shared a look. They looked very little alike to begin with. With Gilbert's now very feminine face, the resemblance was almost completely gone.

"And she called you 'West'…" said Vash, thinking. "Who does she remind you of, Lili?"

Lili thought for a moment. "Gilbert. She looks just like him."

Vash nodded. "Yes, that's it. The hair. Those eyes—she has the same devious look in her eyes, as well."

Ludwig held his breath. Had he figured it out? Gott, he hoped not.

"…But that's not possible, is it?" asked Vash. "I know you don't have a sister Ludwig."

Yes, it seemed he'd understood completely.

"Gilbert is a cross dresser?" asked Lili.

"No, Lili, Gilbert is a woman," said Vash.

"What?"

"We don't know how it happened either," said Gilbert, now able to speak again. "I was like this when I got up."

"…You know, there's that one who's always going on about stuff like this. Is it Arthur? You should give him a call."

With that, Vash led his sister away by her hand, leaving Ludwig and the somewhat gender-confused Gilbert standing alone again.

"You should have just told him, West," said Gilbert, looking at Ludwig sideways.

"I wonder if it would have been so bad if he thought I was just playing with women's underwear…" said Ludwig.

He honestly didn't know which turnout was worse.

Thus ended a very interesting trip to the H&M.


	4. Chapter 4

It's not physically possible for me to write more than three pages in MS Word. Seriously.

But I discovered double space.

And I really do love reading my traffic. Seriously. I love the diversity of the people visiting my stories. It makes me laugh to picture Hetalia as I'm reading. Um, I got a person from Latvia, it says. For whatever reason, I find that hilarious.

XxXxXxX

Ludwig didn't want word about Gilbert getting out, so he ignored Vash's rare piece of advice.

Gilbert however, couldn't stop thinking about it.

After dinner, he went back to his room and sat on his bed, whipping out his phone. He scrolled his contacts for Arthur's name, hesitated, then pressed 'call.'

"Hello," said Arthur.

"Hello, Arthur?" asked Gilbert in quiet response.

"…Who is this?"

On the other end of the phone, Arthur checked his caller ID. He was sure it said 'Gilbert.'

"It's Gilbert."

"_Really?_" The sarcasm was almost tangible.

"When I woke up, I sort of somehow… turnedintoagirl…"

The last part was said quickly and quietly, but somehow Arthur managed to catch it anyway.

"Hm."

He refused to believe Gilbert for even a second. This was just like him, wasn't it? To pull some kind of obnoxious prank like this.

"No, really! I'll send you a picture—hang on!"

"The voice is really quite believable though," said Arthur dryly.

Gilbert quickly snapped a picture of himself and texted it to Arthur.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"No, not yet," said Arthur bitterly. "For God's sakes, it better not be pornography. I've just about had it with your little jokes."

"It's not!"

A few awkward moments passed with nothing to be said.

"Alright, I've got it, hang on."

Then there was silence. A very long and somewhat depressing silence.

"Arthur?"

"You were serious. Wow, I'm quite impressed that you've actually gone to someone else for help instead of making things worse."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I have no idea how this happened, or if I can even fix it. As awesome as this is, I don't think I really want to be a woman for the rest of my life."

Arthur nearly choked. "And you've come to me because you think my magic is real and I can help you?"

"No, I called you because you were recommended."

"Oh."

"Can you help me?"

Arthur sighed. "I don't know. I didn't have anything to do with this, despite what one might think. I'll look into it though. In the meantime, try not to make a fool of yourself, won't you?"

"Right whatever."

Anyone else, Arthur included, knew that Gilbert had a very annoying habit of doing just that whether he actually meant to or not. What's worse was that he often took others with him.

"I'll ring you back when I know anything, then."

Gilbert hung up without saying goodbye.

He was feeling moodier than usual as he lie on his back in his bed. He figured that was probably the hormones, because all in all, it hadn't really been that bad of a day. He'd only been a girl for one day, and he was already wondering how naturally born females dealt with their emotions on a daily basis.

And his _hair. _There was just so _much_ of it! He briefly considered cutting it. No, he'd probably just tie it back. That would help a little, at least.

Gilbert looked to his open closet door. He didn't object very much to anyone _else _wearing the somewhat frilly clothes, but he wasn't sure he himself wanted to walk around in one of those long dress/shirt things and leggings. Maybe he wouldn't wear the leggings. See what Ludwig thought about _that_.

He smirked triumphantly.

Not long after, however, his eyelids felt heavy, and before he knew it, even though he'd slept nearly all day and it was only just now getting to be around ten, he was dreaming.

XxXxX

Ludwig knocked on the basement door. There was no answer, so he let himself in.

"Bruder?" he asked.

Despite the fact that the light was still on, it appeared that Gilbert had fallen asleep again. Ludwig guessed he couldn't really blame him, though.

He looked so peaceful. His chest rose and fell steadily. When he wasn't running his mouth like now, Ludwig had to admit he was actually sort of cute.

What was he thinking? Even if Gilbert had always been like this, they were still family. Still he found himself blushing as he made his way back up the stairs.

A rare smile found its way to his lips as he quietly shut the door. "Guten Nacht, Schwester."


	5. Chapter 5

Psh. Okay. Yes, I have no idea how a bar works. I don't drink. Wouldn't if I could. …Actually that's probably a lie, but that's beside the point.

This chapter is much longer~!

Also, I may try to wrap this up soon. I don't want it to get draggy. XP

**XxXxXxXxX**

The next day, Gilbert got up much earlier than normal. From the minute he opened his eyes, he felt like there was something very important he was supposed to do that day.

Of course, he checked himself over again, and he was still lacking his famed "five meters," so that didn't do much for his stress, either. He pulled on a very long solid blue t-shirt that went down to mid-thigh and left it at that.

He ran a hand through his long silvery hair.

'Screw it,' he thought, and then went upstairs.

Ludwig was nowhere to be seen. Gilbert looked at the clock. It was only 8:30. Ludwig should be back inside making breakfast any time now.

Outside the window above the sink, Gilbert could actually see Ludwig as he ran his laps around the large house.

His green jacket was tied around his waist, revealing the black tank top that fit his well-sculpted muscles perfectly. Sweat glistened off him as he moved, and he did appear just a little deteriorated and tired, but he was clearly persistent. A little fatigue never killed anyone. There was a lot of admiration to be had for the younger nation.

Gilbert felt his face get warm, so he quickly shut the blinds and turned away. What the hell was he thinking? He shouldn't even joke like that! It's just the hormones. That's all. Damned, disgusting hormones.

Sighing, he decided not to wait for his brother, and instead opened the freezer to retrieve the ice cream, and sat down at the table with a spoon. He'd only just dug in when the door opened and Ludwig came in, dabbing at his forehead with a rag.

"Oh, hey, West. I was gonna wait for you, but I got hungry so…" said Gilbert, trailing off.

"I just can't believe you woke up before noon," said Ludwig.

Gilbert stuck out his tongue in response.

Ludwig reached into the fridge and pulled out a package of wurst. He turned on the stove and put three into the pan. In minutes, the smell wafted all over the house, and had Gilbert not been eating already, his mouth might be watering.

"…Hey, West," started Gilbert. "Does something important happen today? A birthday or something, maybe?"

Ludwig thought for a moment. "Nein, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"It just feels like I'm supposed to do something," answered Gilbert.

Then his cell phone rang.

He panicked, jumping up from the table and fumbling around for his phone. Of course he dropped it. Quickly, he bent over to pick it up, inadvertently giving Ludwig a full view of his Gilbert's panties.

Ludwig flushed tomato red and went back to cooking, pretending he didn't see anything. He could complain about it later.

Gilbert finally answered the phone. "Hallo?"

"Bonjour! Are you ready to go?" asked Francis's voice.

Gilbert covered the receiver. "It's Francis!"

"Um… go where?" he asked, turning his attention back to the phone.

Francis laughed from the other end. "I guess it doesn't matter if you're ready or not, because I'm already outside waiting for you!"

"That's great, but you still haven't told me where we're going…"

"Hurry up!"

Francis hung up.

"What was that about?" asked Ludwig.

"Francis is outside waiting for me to take me… somewhere," explained Gilbert, frowning slightly. "I must have made plans and forgot about it."

"At any rate, you can't go," said Ludwig quickly.

"Like hell I can't—I have to go!"

"Have you forgotten the situation you're in right now?"

"No."

Ludwig sighed. He knew whenever Gilbert got like this, there was absolutely nothing that could deter him.

"Put some pants on then, or something," he mumbled.

Gilbert grinned. Mission accomplished. "Whatever you say, West."

Of course, he ignored his brother anyway and hurried outside to greet Francis, who was sitting in his car.

The minute Francis saw Gilbert, his lips twitched in a smirk instead of his jaw dropping like a normal person would do. Unphased, but confused.

Gilbert stopped without getting into the red convertible. He leaned on the door, of course, revealing very real cleavage.

"So, what is this?" asked Francis, gesturing to Gilbert.

"I dunno. Woke up like this yesterday. We going or what?" asked Gilbert.

"Of course, ma cherie," smirked Francis.

He realized he should have thought something was off when he was on the phone with Gilbert. He might have been too excited at the moment to focus though, and that could account for his lack of observance.

"Don't call me that," said Gilbert, hopping on.

Francis just laughed again.

They chatted idly about this for a little while as Francis drove, but eventually they both lost interest in the conversation and turned to other things.

"So where are we going, anyway?" asked Gilbert.

"Drinking, of course! Mon Dieu, did you really forget?" asked Francis.

"Well, I might've been more than a little preoccupied with the fact that I magically turned into a woman overnight, dumbass," he said, turning away from the other man's gaze.

Francis smirked again. "Preoccupied, you say? Très intéressant."

Gilbert said nothing, because chances are, if Francis was suggesting what he thought he was, it was more than likely true.

Francis continued to drive in silence. It was an unusual silence, to say the least, but both of them blamed that on the fact that Antonio wasn't present.

**XxXxXxXxX**

They'd been at the bar for a few hours. Gilbert only had a couple of drinks, but they were sort of strong, and he was feeling a little tipsy already.

It was Francis's idea of a joke, sort of, to treat Gilbert to those fruity-looking little drinks that have a much higher alcohol content than one might think. Gilbert probably wouldn't think it was very funny, but he seemed to be unaware of Francis's little joke.

In no time, almost, Gilbert was definitely intoxicated. At first, you might not know it, because he was always pretty good at keeping composure while drunk, also he had a reputation for his somewhat bizarre behavioral habits. However, he seemed a bit more excited than normal, if you knew him well enough.

Of course, Francis stuck to his precious wine, as usual, so he wasn't nearly as drunk as his friend. The buzz in his head was definitely getting stronger, though. He watched, amused as Gilbert bounced around excitedly. Standing seemed to be a somewhat difficult task for the guy-turned-girl already.

"I should call your brother before I forget," said Francis, pulling his phone out.

Gilbert wasn't listening, of course.

Ludwig answered the phone quickly. "What do you want, Frenchie?"

Francis pouted the tiniest bit. "Oh don't be so rude, Ludwig. I just thought you'd like to know that Gilbert is drunk off his adorable little ass, and that he'll probably need another ride home."

"Keep your hands off him, pervert," growled Ludwig. Then the rest of his words processed. "Right, I'll be there. The usual place, right?"

"Oui. And don't worry about Gilbert, I'll keep him out of trouble till you get here."

**XxXxXxXxX**

When Ludwig got to the bar they frequented, he saw that Francis's words couldn't have been any more true. The part about Gilbert being drunk, that is.

"Gilbert," hissed Ludwig. "Why do you always do this?"

The albino just shrugged, twirling a long strand of hair. "I don't have anything else to do."

"That's not a very good reason. Say goodbye to the Frenchie and let's get out of here, ja?"

Gilbert did so by placing a kiss on the other man's cheek. Francis didn't seem surprised, but did it have to be on just his cheek?

Ludwig turned slightly red in embarrassment and irritation. "Let's go, Gilbert."

Gilbert turned around and looked up at his brother. Could it be that the alcohol was stronger than he thought? He could almost swear the room was spinning. He took a step forward, and promptly hit the floor, tripping over absolutely nothing.

"You're really drunk aren't you?" asked Ludwig. "Here, you can lean on me."

Gilbert shook his head. "Carry me."

Ludwig sighed, but complied easily. "You're pathetic."

He ended up carrying his brother bridal style back to his own car. As expected, he was now very light.

Gilbert didn't respond until he was seated in the car. "Well, I'm drunk."

"But you shouldn't be. I know you come here all the time, but…" said Ludwig. "You're not exactly _you _right now, and someone could try to take advantage of that."

"Look who's worried about me!" smiled Gilbert.

"This is serious. What if you got raped? What if you ended up getting pregnant?"

"That would be weird," said Gilbert, eyes closed. "But then I guess I'd have to keep the little fucker, right? I'd teach him to be just as awesome as me."

Ludwig shook his head with a sigh as he started the car.

"I'd name him after Old Fritz, of course, because you know, he was one of the only people who was almost as awesome as me," continued Gilbert.

"Gil," said Ludwig, smiling just the tiniest bit.

"What?"

"Shut up."

This caused Gilbert to fold his arms against his chest and pout like a child. Ludwig chose to ignore Gilbert's little display, but he had to admit, that was a very cute face his brother was making.

"It's you, you know," said Gilbert suddenly.

"What's me?" asked Ludwig.

"You and Old Fritz are the only ones anywhere near as awesome as me."

"Oh. Um… thank you." It sounded like a question.

"Damn right."

**XxXxXxXxX**

Ludwig had to carry Gilbert down the stairs and help him get into bed. This wasn't an easy task. He couldn't help but remember how peaceful he'd looked the night before as he pulled the blanket up around his brother. He was about to turn off the light and leave, just before Gilbert spoke.

"Come here."

"What?" asked Ludwig, who had been convinced Gilbert was out already.

"Come here!"

Ludwig stood beside Gilbert in his bed.

"No, down here," said Gilbert.

He got on his knees. What the hell did Gilbert want?

"Closer, it's a secret."

Now he was just being ridiculous.

Ludwig leaned closer. He could see Gilbert's eyes gleaming mischievously even though they were half hidden by his thick eyelashes. Too late, Gilbert had him now!

Gilbert quickly sat up a little, and put his hands on his brother's face, pulling him into a sloppy kiss on the lips. There was a lot of passion behind that one kiss. That wasn't good.

What was worse, Ludwig found himself kissing back. He screamed at himself to get the hell off of him, and how disgusting and unclean that was. A few seconds later, he was able to jerk back and stand up quickly.

"What the hell was that?" he asked angrily, before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Goodnight kiss," said Gilbert simply, just before falling asleep.

"It's not even five o'clock. Why did they leave so early today?"

With any luck, Gilbert wouldn't remember what just happened. Yes, Ludwig was going to have interesting dreams that night. He cursed violently, blushing, and went upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Short update while I have writer's block. Any ideas would be VERY MUCH appreciated. I want to finish what I start for once.

XxXxXxXxX

Normally, Arthur wouldn't have thrown himself into somebody else's problem, but this was magic. It was his area of expertise. Next to the culinary arts, that is. And business was rather slow for the moment, so he did have plenty of time. Too much, it seemed.

He sighed in frustration as he flipped through yet another of his countless journals. So far, his efforts weren't rewarded in the slightest. It seemed like Gilbert's situation shouldn't even be possible. This just wasn't how magic worked. Arthur new far better than to assume it wasn't entirely impossible—after all, the proof was right there on his phone.

The fairies only sat watching as the strange human man worked, occasionally talking back and forth to each other, but mostly just watching. The fairies really did love Arthur. They adored him. For one thing, he could see them. All young children could see them—save for that one called Alfred—but Arthur never lost his ability. Another reason was that he was nearly as immortal as they were, and it simply baffled them. Sure, he got sick and was easily broken, as humans are, but he hadn't aged in centuries. And he really was such a sweet man once you got to know him. The fairies would do anything for their Arthur. They didn't expect their little display to cause even more stress.

Finally, the little pink fairy flitted over to Arthur, resting on his shoulder again. "What can we do for Arthur?"

"I don't know that you can do anything," replied Arthur, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"Tell us what Arthur wants," said the yellow fairy.

"It's not me," he sighed, reaching for his phone.

He clicked on the picture Gilbert sent two nights before and showed it to the fairies.

"This is Ludwig's brother Gilbert. He used to represent Prussia, remember?" he said, reminding them. "But apparently, the day before yesterday, he woke up as a woman."

The fairies let out their little chirruping laughter, and immediately Arthur put everything together.

"Did you do this?" he asked, frowning.

"Arthur said Ludwig needed a distraction," stated the pink one simply.

"Oh dear…" sighed Arthur, touching his hand to the side of his face. "No, that wasn't what I meant."

"Arthur is angry?" asked the green one.

"Not angry, no. You can't keep doing things like this, though. It causes problems, and I don't think Gilbert appreciates this turn of events either."

"Arthur wants us to fix it?" asked the yellow fairy.

"That would be nice."

At this, the fairies began conversing again in a sort of debate. The pink one spoke slowly and quietly, and her three sisters always took a pause after she spoke, as if contemplating. Arthur noticed this trend a very long time ago. As far as he could figure, she was the oldest, but really, these were the only times it showed.

"We can't," said the blue one finally.

"Why not?" asked Arthur, eyebrows knitting together (as one could imagine, this could be quite literal).

"Because, he has to break it himself. It's really simple…" she said.

"How?"

The fairies considered this briefly.

Finally the pink one answered. "How do you say it in your language? Remember those stories you used to read? They called it 'true love's kiss,' I believe."

XxXxXxXxX

Gilbert scoffed. "'True love's kiss?'"

"Yes."

"The fairies told you this?" he asked, smirking a little.

"Right."

"Whatever. Sounds like one of those stories I used to tell West when he was little."

"That's how it was explained to me, at least," sighed Arthur.

Gilbert ran a hand through his hair. "Hm. Well, if _that's_ all…"

"Yes, that's all. I expect I'll hear from you later, then?"

"I wouldn't count on it, but thanks anyway."

"Goodbye, Gilbert."

"Whatever."

Arthur hung up.

Gilbert wasn't in the best mood for no reason at all. This news didn't please him even a little, either.

"True love's kiss," mumbled Gilbert. "It may be a while, then."

He tossed his phone back on the bed and stood up, reaching for his closet door.

Wait, what time was it? 2:38. Yes, it was probably time to get up.

Skinny jeans, red t-shirt that read "The awesome meter never lies," and his usual jacket. Who cared if it was too big? It was _his _jacket. He pulled the laces on his boots tight, then straightened his cross in the mirror.

Then he dashed up the stairs, through the kitchen, and to the door.

"GoingtogetthatkissI'llbebacklater!" he called to Ludwig, who was restocking the shelves with fresh groceries at the time.

This caused Ludwig to pause momentarily in order to process what his brother had just said. "Kiss? I'm going to have to go get him again, aren't I?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Still having a bit of writer's block. I've got the basic idea for the next couple of chapters or sooo... but any more ideas would be highly appreciated. Thank you guys so much for putting up with me this long.**

* * *

><p><em>-In the Case of Mister Austria and Miss Hungary...-<em>

Gilbert let himself into the aristocrat's home. Well, alright, Roderich had long ago learned _never _to leave any doors or windows unlocked, so this wasn't entirely true.

Because the doors and windows were all locked, he'd had to find a way around this. This was done by finding the basement windows; the little rectangular ones just barely big enough for Gilbert to squeeze himself through, thereby gaining access to Roderich's home. Though they were locked too, one of them was loose. Roderich knew this. However, he was too afraid that Gilbert would take to more violent means of entering his house if _something_ wasn't left available. So the window was left unfixed.

So Gilbert found this window and crawled inside easily, much more so now that he was smaller.

There was never much of interest in Roderich's basement. It was just another room. Anything actually stored down there was boxed away uninterestingly, so he never lingered, and, as usual, went straight to find Roderich himself.

It was about mid-afternoon, so if he was home, and it was very likely that he was, he would still be sitting at his piano. Of course he was. That was pretty much all he did for fun.

Gilbert stalked into the piano room, not attracting the attention of the man so focused on the piece he was playing.

"Hey, Roderich!" shouted Gilbert alarmingly, closing his hands on both of the Austrian's shoulders.

In a flurry of hands, Roderich slammed his fingers down against the ivory, then grabbed Gilbert's wrists, making sure he didn't get away.

"Gilbert! I can't believe you!" Roderich fumed, red-faced, without turning around. "I was just in the middle of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2. If you have something to say, you could at least wait until I finish the… piece…"

Somewhere along the line, Roderich had abruptly whipped around to tell Gilbert exactly what he thought, and got an eyeful of the woman in front of him.

"Gilbert?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

"Ja?" asked Gilbert, brushing his hair out of his face.

"…" Roderich was unable to process what he was seeing, and as a result, unable to form the words, let alone a complete sentence.

"What, this? Blame Arthur. Anyway, I came here to get my kiss!"

A look of shock passed over the Austrian's face as the surprising and crashing realization that Gilbert was a woman was temporarily forgotten. He stood, flustered, nearly knocking the bench over.

"Kiss?" he sputtered out finally.

"Ja, Arthur said that I won't go back to normal until I get true love's kiss or some other kind of shit!" He leaned in suddenly, but Roderich stopped him quite easily, putting his hands on his shoulders to hold the Prussian back.

"Are you confessing to me?" asked Roderich in disbelief.

Gilbert looked up and shrugged. "Well, it's a possibility. I wouldn't say I love you, but I don't really like you much anyway, and I don't think I've ever really loved anyone before, so…"

Roderich took a deep breath and sighed to regain his composure. "Gilbert. If it makes you feel better, I will kiss you. I don't think it will do any good, though. And I swear to God, if you ever tell anyone—"

"Ja, ja, whatever—like I want people to know I kissed you."

After a moment's hesitation, Roderich slowly pressed his lips to Gilbert's with careful caution.

When Roderich pulled away, Gilbert stood there a moment, blinking and staring at Roderich. Nothing happened.

"There. You see? It can't be me," said Roderich, raking his hand through his hair with a slightly relieved sigh.

"Mr. Austria?" asked a woman's voice. "What are you doing?"

Elizaveta entered the room, clutching her frying pan to her chest, glaring razor-sharp daggers at the… thing Roderich had just shared a kiss with. They may have been divorced for a long time now, but both of them still held the same caring respect for each other. They still loved each other, even though they weren't together in any sense of the word.

Gilbert turned around quickly. "Eliza! Maybe it's you! Here, you have to kiss me too!"

He dashed towards her excitedly, throwing his arms out wide, only to have Elizaveta's frying pan come crashing down on his head.

And so, of course, he was knocked unconscious.

Elizaveta turned her glare to Roderich, still brandishing her frying pan.

"You didn't see what happened!" cried Roderich, flinching at the toxic aura coming off of her.

"I saw enough. I saw you kissing her!" the Hungarian woman hissed, not lowering her weapon of choice.

"Did you get a good enough look at 'her?'" asked Roderich, using air quotes.

Turning on her heel, Elizaveta stared down at Gilbert. She studied the features of the girl lying on the floor for a few moments, tensing up.

"Is that…?" asked Elizaveta, biting her lip as she thought. "You kissed Gilbert?"

Roderich sighed. "He was babbling something about breaking a spell with a kiss, and I only kissed him to make him leae."

"And… he probably expects a kiss from me, too?"

"Possibly," murmured Roderich, blinking.

Elizaveta rolled her eyes, moving to lift Gilbert by his arms.

She began pulling him in the direction of the door.

"Don't just stand there, help me carry him," ordered Elizaveta, irritated.

Roderich faltered, then hurried to grab Gilbert's feet, and the two of them dumped him outside on the doorstep, locking the door.

He decided to phone Ludwig immediately.

* * *

><p>"…And you let him kiss you?" asked Ludwig.<p>

"For the last time, I just wanted to get rid of him!" snapped Roderich, frustrated.

"Right," mumbled Ludwig, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And what did you do with him?"

"He's on the porch. We carried him there after Elizaveta knocked him out. Do you want to come get him?" asked Roderich.

"Nein, just leave him. He won't try that again, I can guarantee that much," sighed Ludwig.

"…I can do that," replied Roderich, returning the sigh.

"Thank you for calling me," said Ludwig.

"Any time, Ludwig."

Roderich hung up after that.

Ludwig groaned in agitation. Was Gilbert purposely making his life miserable?

Unfortunately, that was no the last call Ludwig would receive.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- Okay. I lied. I'm upping the rating on this so I can do a somewhat smutty scene in the next chapter.**

Gilbert was feeling more than a little frustrated, having traversed pretty much the entirety of Europe, and parts of Asia as well. So far, he'd had no luck at all. The only ones spared of his visits were Antonio, Feliciano, Lovino, because they were still vacationing, and Berwald and Ivan, simply because he really didn't like the way either of the two nations looked at him (he would never openly admit that he was terrified of them).

Ludwig's day, however, was even worse. Every couple of hours, he received another angry phone call telling him exactly where his brother was, what he was doing, and where he may be going next based on current location. What followed next were a few questions about the situation and why Gilbert was currently a woman and what they should do next. Ludwig told them all to leave everything to him; Gilbert would be dealt with when he got home.

Late at night, definitely at least 22:00 in Berlin, the door finally creaked open, revealing Gilbert, puffy-eyed and sniffling from crying. He'd all but given up on the situation. He'd been everywhere. Nothing had worked. There wasn't enough beer in the world to make this day okay.

On the opposite side of the door, Ludwig stood with his arms folded across his chest, scowling in frustration.

Gilbert, looking at the ground, wiped his nose on his sleeve, then abruptly ran into his brother, having been not paying attention. He jumped back in surprise as Ludwig's two large hands gripped both his arms and he was pulled into the house roughly, the door slamming behind him with a loud _bang!_

"What the hell were you thinking?" asked Ludwig angrily. "When are you finally going to grow up? For God's sakes, why am I forced to be the responsible one when you're my older brother?"

Gilbert stared back at him with dull eyes, quiet for a moment. "Sister."

"Wie?"

"Nothing worked, West," Gilbert sighed mournfully. "After all that, I'm still the same. It looks like there really isn't anyone out there for me."

Ludwig's expression softened slightly. "Don't say that, Bruder… I'm sure you'll sort this out eventually."

Gilbert sniffled pitifully, shaking his head. "But I'm tired of being a woman _now_… It really sucks. You have no idea how much this sucks."

"I don't. I'm sorry," sighed Ludwig.

"I just want to go lie down. Save the lecture for later, because right now, I feel like shit," mumbled Gilbert, pushing away from his brother.

Ludwig nodded, releasing his grip on the pale arms. As Gilbert turned away to go back to his basement, Ludwig scratched the back of his neck. "Are you sure you tried absolutely everyone?"

"Well, I skipped a few people for… various reasons, but I don't think they would have worked out anyway," admitted Gilbert.

"And you never once, the whole time, thought of me…?" Ludwig asked slowly.

Gilbert crinkled his nose up, looking disgusted. "No offense, West, but… well, what the hell, I have nothing to lose."

Ludwig frowned. "I wasn't offering, but if you think it will help…"

Returning his perplexed frown, Gilbert inched closer to him, locking their eyes together. After a few slow moments, Ludwig brushed his hand through Gilbert's long, silvery hair, and leaned down somewhat clumsily.

Their lips connected, slowly at first, shy and a little uncomfortably. Something seemed to click in the minds of both of the two brothers that this experience was undeniably pleasant, and they seemed to melt into the kiss. They pulled apart, only to suck in a few breaths of cool air, then were quickly back at it again, filling the space between them. Ludwig decided to try and deepen the kiss, smoothly running his tongue over Gilbert's soft lips for entrance, sending welcomed chills down their spines as their tongues danced in synch together.

After what seemed like eternity, they finally pulled away from each other in an almost sad departure.

Gilbert looked down at himself. "It… still didn't work."

Ludwig put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Bruder."

"I'm just going to go to bed," Gilbert mumbled sadly, wandering off towards the stairs.

"Guten Nacht," offered Ludwig, watching him.

Gilbert didn't answer.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So here's your almost-smut. If you're not comfortable with almost-smut, then just skip to the next chapter (once it's out), because this isn't really that important. Heh.**

XxXxXxXxX

Of course it didn't work. What was he thinking? Lusting after his older brother. It was just sick. Was it really just lust? It hadn't felt that way. Ludwig sighed and then removed a beer from the refrigerator.

Gilbert crashed into his bed sadly, stripping his clothes off in a hurry as he did so. No way in hell was he sleeping in the tight, uncomfortable undergarments that cut harshly into his flesh. Especially the bra. He hated it.

The sound of heavy boots on the stairs alerted him to his brother coming downstairs, and he quickly drew the blankets tightly around his naked body and huddled into a tight ball, lightly embarrassed.

"Look," Ludwig started slowly, sitting at the foot of the bed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. It was… wrong, and I'm a horrible brother for thinking for a moment that it was alright."

Gilbert eyed the bottle in Ludwig's hand suspiciously. Was he trying to drown the memory in beer as both brothers had the tendency to do after a particularly traumatizing event?

"It's fine, West. Thanks for trying anyway."

"It's not fine," snapped the blonde, glaring at his older brother. "I kissed you. And it felt good."

Gilbert blinked, not knowing quite how to respond. "That's because it was a good kiss…"

"Don't talk like that."

"West, are you…" began Gilbert, searching for the right words. "Attracted to me?"

Ludwig could have killed him. Instead, he chose not to speak.

"It's alright if you are, you know."

This provoked a rather loud sigh from the younger man as he set his beer on the table beside Gilbert's bed.

"I don't know," he answered reluctantly. "It certainly seems like it. Maybe."

Gilbert laughed softly, smiling. "You're a good little brother."

"Don't laugh at me," growled Ludwig angrily.

"Don't tell me what to do."

With a sudden flurry of movement, Gilbert threw the covers off, revealing himself to Ludwig, who now wore a very flustered expression.

"…Bruder, why are you naked?" asked Ludwig very slowly, closing his eyes as if he were afraid to look.

"Because," said Gilbert as if that alone justified it. "I wanted to see your reaction."

Ludwig groaned. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to be completely honest. Are you attracted to me?"

"…Yes."

"This way, or as myself?"

"Both."

"Jesus, West," sighed Gilbert. "Did you really want to kiss me?"

"I'm not going to answer you if you're going to patronize me!"

"Just answer the damn question," ordered Gilbert.

"Yes, I did. Are you happy now?"

Ludwig stood up, taking his beer back, about to leave.

"Don't go, West. I feel the same way," said Gilbert softly. "I want to give you another try."

"Stop messing with me, Gilbert," spat Ludwig. "It's not funny, it's not cute, and I don't appreciate it."

"You should enjoy this body while it lasts," murmured Gilbert, not paying attention. "I don't plan on staying like this forever."

"…You're not listening, are you?"

"I am. I'm not just messing with you," replied the albino nonchalantly. "Because as sick as you think I am, I'm not cruel."

Ludwig paused. "You want me to…?"

"I want you to get back over here and fuck me."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's wrong."

"I'm not giving you a choice." Gilbert glared back at Ludwig with a determined look.

Ludwig sighed, finishing his beer with another long swig. "Alright."

"Awesome."

Setting the bottle down, Ludwig peeled his shirt off and crawled into the bed.

"I don't know about this," he murmured, lying over top of Gilbert.

"I'm ready."

Ludwig let out another sigh, then gently pressed his lips to Gilbert's, initiating the kiss. Gilbert smiled into the kiss, putting his hands over Ludwig's shutting his eyes with a delighted purr.

Gilbert's body language invited Ludwig further in encouragingly. Ludwig slipped his hand away from Gilbert's, using it to travel over the pleasant surface of the pale, naked breasts. His fingers twined around right in a slight squeeze, then ghosted over the left, swirling tiny circles in the dark nub, which was quickly swelling with the arousal of being attended to.

Gilbert pulled Ludwig closer, so that his head rested comfortably between the soft cleavage, provoking a soft gasp from the blonde. A cat's grin played on Gilbert's lips as he gently placed a nipple against Ludwig's slightly parted lips with his hand.

"Suck," commanded Gilbert when it seemed that Ludwig was too stunned to do anything useful.

Ludwig nodded dumbly, closing his lips around the rosy nipple, sucking gently. He washed his tongue over it, eliciting a soft moan from the albino, and exciting Ludwig even further. He bit down, causing Gilbert to squeak in surprise.

Ludwig smirked slightly, placing quick, heated kisses over Gilbert's body, raking his sides with his nails.

"Does this feel good?" asked Ludwig, an uncharacteristic grin playing on his lips.

Gilbert gave a small nod, closing his eyes in pleasure as Ludwig stroked his hands over every bare inch of skin he could reach.

Suddenly, gears were turning in Gilbert's head, and his eyes fluttered open quickly. "Wait."

"What?"

Gilbert wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What if I, y'know, get pregnant or something?"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, but shrank back anyway. "I'm not sure nations can have children."

"I don't know, West," mumbled Gilbert, the sudden lust that had overtaken him dissolving. "Heracles seems to know what he's talking about."

Ludwig pulled away, flushed. "That was… incredibly reckless of you."

"You could have said 'no,'" snorted Gilbert, pulling the blanket back over him, missing Ludwig's warmth.

"I could have," Ludwig agreed, tugging his shirt back on.

There was a brief pause here. Not awkward, just quiet.

"Hey, West?"

"Ja?"

Gilbert looked up at him. "Could you sleep with me tonight anyway? Like we did when you were little?"

"Only if you put something on," answered Ludwig, smiling slightly.

Ludwig watched, amused, as Gilbert clumsily stood out of bed and struggled with the holes on a night gown he'd insisted they buy because it showed off his ass. He hopped back into the bed and motioned for his brother to lie down next to him, which Ludwig did, happily.

"…I love you, West," murmured Gilbert, hooking his arms through Ludwig's, burying his face in the strong neck tiredly.

Ludwig hesitated, then kissed Gilbert's forehead with a small smile. "I love you too."

Gilbert never heard him, though. He'd already fallen fast asleep in Ludwig's arms, a warm smile on his lips.

"I love you, Bruder," Ludwig murmured again, holding Gilbert closer.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: LAST CHAPTER. WHOOOOO. FINALLY. IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME. I'm soooo sorry for the wait. I kind of lost the will to write anything for a while, really and then once I picked other stuff up, I felt like writing this one some more and... Here's the end. :I ...Honestly, I don't like this story very much but meh.

* * *

><p>Ludwig was slightly less than thrilled when, while he was standing in the kitchen doing the dishes, two lean, white hands slipped over his eyes, obstructing his view. He sighed. "What do you want now?"<p>

"Guess who."

The voice.

His voice was deeper and scratchier as it had been before. Masculine.

"Gilbert?" asked Ludwig. "It was me?"

The Prussian pulled away, grinning. "Ja. Vielen Dank, Westen."

Great. Now he was going to expect that much affection more often. As if he weren't needy enough as it was.

Gilbert never took of the lacy nightgown from the night before, and he still wasn't wearing anything under it. And now that he was bigger, it was even shorter and tighter than before. This fact made Ludwig decidedly uncomfortable when Gilbert threw his arms around his brother's neck suddenly, pressing his face into his shoulder, but that didn't stop him from running his hand down the Prussian's back tenderly.

"I'm back," murmured Gilbert, nuzzling his head into Ludwig's neck. "I feel pretty damn good right now."

The blonde smiled and nodded. He brought his hand to caress his brother's cheek. "I haven't seen you this excited since you came home."

The Prussian gave an angry snort, snuggling against Ludwig once again. "I'd rather still be a chick than in freaking Siberia."

"Alright, alright," chuckled Ludwig, patting his back gently. "I won't bring it up again."

For a few minutes, the only sound that filled the silence was the quiet, steady stream of running water coming from the sink. Neither brother cared to untangle himself from the other's grasp. They were just happy now that things could go back to normal. Well, mostly normal, anyway. Since they had realized their feelings for each other, things would never be the same.

Ludwig stood there, contemplating the events of the night before. He inhaled Gilbert's scent deeply and kissed his forehead. "Ich liebe dich, Bruder."

Gilbert smiled up at him warmly. "If you didn't, then I probably wouldn't be back to normal. I went through _everyone._ You were the only one who could fix it the whole time. And yes, this does mean you're gay for your brother, since I'm technically not female."

"…You're impossible." Ludwig blushed and pulled away. He turned around and returned to washing the dishes. "I don't know why I bother with you."

At this, Gilbert grabbed Ludwig's shoulders, trying to pull him away from the sink.

_Splash!_

Suddenly, Gilbert's hair was dripping wet, and Ludwig had snapped around, clutching the nozzle of the hose in his hand, smirking over at his brother.

"What the hell?" Gilbert scowled, wiping water out of his eyes.

"Let me finish up here," grumbled Ludwig, suddenly back to normal. "Then I'm all yours."

The albino seemed satisfied with this, and ran off to dry himself off and find something better to occupy his time.

Meanwhile, Ludwig smiled to himself as he scrubbed a plate clean. "Now that things are back to normal, maybe I can finally relax."

He hoped so, anyway, if only for a little while.

* * *

><p>Feliciano looked over the German's shoulder. It was the middle of a meeting, and almost time for Ludwig to present. However, he didn't seem to be paying very much attention at all, which was very unusual. Instead, he was studying something in his folder very intently, and while the Italian couldn't tell what he was looking at, it sure didn't look like it had anything to do with the meeting.<p>

"Ve? What are those?" asked Feliciano, blinking at the papers in Ludwig's hand.

Ludwig slammed his folder shut quickly, and turned his attention to the currently presenting American. "It's nothing."

The younger Italian brother was already flipping through the papers, studying them carefully before Ludwig could stop him. "Are these travel guides?"

"Shh!" Ludwig took the papers from him, then threw Gilbert, who sat next to him, asleep, a nervous glance. "Ja I want to surprise Gil by taking him on a nice vacation."

"Really? You should tour Spain like I did with Tonio and my fratello~!"

"Feliciano. Be _quiet_," urged the German. "I was thinking of taking him somewhere further East. He's never spent a lot of time in Asia, as far as I know, and I think he would like it."

"Hmm?" The brunette thought for a moment. "Try asking Japan! He travels a lot, so he might know where you should go. I bet Gil would like China, though."

Ludwig nodded. "That's what I thought. I was actually considering India. Thank you for your advice, though."

Feliciano smiled and sat back in his chair. "You're very welcome~ Hey, why have you suddenly decided this, anyway?"

"A lot has happened while you were gone. Now that things are normal again, I haven't been nearly as stressed out. I guess you could say that all I needed was a distraction from my work." Ludwig gave a sigh and glanced to the front of the room, collecting his papers together.

"What happened while I was gone?"

"Maybe I'll tell you after the meeting is over," came the reply, as he smiled at his brother.

Alfred motioned to Ludwig to call him up to the front, signaling his turn was up and the response was now expected of the German.

He stood carefully and took his papers to the front of the room.

For just a moment, the other nations were almost certain, that just for the tiniest fraction of a second, they had seen Ludwig smile.


End file.
